Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins (2008) Reviews

• Going home is no vacation.

  moviewizguy2008-06-23

  A successful talk show host leaves Los Angeles to reunite with his family in the Deep South. By the end of this movie's trailer, you would've thought "Oh, not again." No, that's what you were thinking. Don't deny it. Even I did too. But the trailer is very misleading and I found myself liking this movie more than I was going to. A lot more. What I loved about this movie were the characters and moral. And yes, I loved those things. Each of the characters are unique and have their own memorable moments. Also, this movie had some pretty decent jokes, much better than many other comedies released this time who use clichéd and predictable jokes. What I also admired about this movie was the family matter and moral this movie was trying to give out. I found it oddly touching and very sweet. Unfortunately, the other jokes this movie seem to have were also predictable, gross, unfunny, and crude. Some scenes in the movie just ruin the sweets scenes before it because it felt like the filmmakers just want to make people laugh. Like I said, the characters were memorable. The most notable were James Earl Jones, Nicole Ari Parker, and Mo'Nique. Mo'Nique, I must say, is the funniest character in here, in my opinion. She throws each joke at you and you can't have enough! Yes, the trailers for this movie were misleading so the movie was actually quite decent. The jokes were actually funny, the characters memorable, and the moral is very touching for anyone who has a family. Sure, it had its bad moments but this is better than most comedies released this year.

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• Lively and yes, funny

  bob-rutzel-12008-06-23

  Successful Talk Show Host RJ (Lawrence) is besieged to come back home for his parents' 50th Wedding Anniversary. I was skeptical, I was wary, I wasn't sure, but this time the promos didn't let me down. This was good. Since the basic theme was a grand family reunion, you know the usual obligatory things will be performed, a softball game, (with other families it may be a touch football game), an obstacle course (okay, this is a new one that I've witnessed, but there you are) and other family things, etc. Nothing new here. But, what keeps this movie fresh is the quick and lively dialogue from all the cast. It didn't feel scripted. It was like eavesdropping on the goings on and the timing, by all, was excellent. And, you know you need good timing when slap-stick comedy is performed. Also, the music throughout was perfect. This was without a doubt a cast of characters, and not your usual every day family members and each character member had his or her own shtick and this helped make this a fun movie. Joy Bryant who played Bianca must have gone to the Molly Sims School of Acting because I kept seeing and hearing Ms. Sims whenever Ms Bryant was on screen. Hey, this is a good thing, not a criticism. She was good. Nicole Ari Parker who played Lucinda is absolutely beautiful. I am sure we will see more of these two women in future movies. It is indeed rare that promos deliver when it comes to comedy, but this time they did. How about that! Violence: Yes, family fighting stuff, Sex: Yes, Dog Sex: Yes, two go at it. Nudity: No, Language: Yes, some, not much

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• It's actually kinda fun

  Smells_Like_Cheese2008-06-26

  Last year when I saw the trailer for Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins, I wasn't expecting much, I'm not a fan by any means with Martin Lawrence. When I looked at the rating here on IMDb at the time of it's theatrical release, it was low, I wasn't sure if that's because people just had low expectations or if it really was that bad of a movie. So I decided to wait for the rental. Well I watched it the other day and honestly Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins is not as bad as I was expecting, I laughed more than a few times. I think the problem with it is that we have all seen this film before. The script is also semi-insulting with the stereotypes, so I can understand why a lot of people hate this movie, but I think everyone just needs to let go with this film while watching it. The story is typical but you have to admit there are some good laughs in it. Roscoe Jenkins is a very successful man, he's a host of a new talk show and author of a self help book, everyone loves him pretty much, including his Survivor wanna be star fiancée, Bianca. But when his son wants to go to his family's big BBQ reunion down in Atlanta, Roscoe decides that it's time for them to meet his new fiancée and life. But what Bianca is not expecting is his crazy family that will just drive them crazy. But Roscoe sees an old crush with his "brother like" enemy, Clyde, flames spark up again, questioning what Roscoe's true roots are. While Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins is typical, has some interesting cast members, and can be a bit insulting, I still feel like this movie really didn't mean to hurt anyone, just to have fun and deliver a few laughs. Like I said, just this movie has been done before so many times with the crazy family and you can predict what will happen at the end, but still, I enjoyed this movie and thought it was fun at best. Just the only thing I didn't get was how the whole family picked on him about his success, I mean, I'd get into his good graces to share some that fun money he must be rolling around in, lol. But I would recommend this movie, just you have to be open to it and just have fun, I guarantee you'll get a few good laughs. 5/10

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• Expecting too much

  jlittle730912008-10-15

  Come on people, I think you were expecting too much. It was a comedy and I thought it was very funny. How were the "stereotypes" semi-insulting? I believe half of us have a relationship with someone in our family pretty close to what Roscoe had with his father, and his siblings. We live with it and accept it. Or if we can't accept it, we tell the person, (finally!) how we feel and sometimes we learn because of not communicating that we both looked at things very differently. ("I didn't know you felt that way!)Black people deal with things, especially family issues, with humor. Ease up, not Oscar material, but very funny.

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• Exceedinlgy Average

  The_Matrix_Rocks2008-11-27

  African American family values movies have matured into a distinct and popular genre and, Martin Lawrence traverses familiar territory with this awkwardly-titled movie. He plays RJ Stevens, a big city motivational guru who has taken the concept of "self-help" too far, leaving him somewhat estranged from his family in the Deep South. In an inelegant plot device, his parents' 50th anniversary serves as an exploitable marketing opportunity sufficiently enticing to lure him back to his hometown. From there, things unfold fairly formulaicly to RJ's rekindling of his true identity, Roscoe Steven Jenkins. Although Lawrence is the lead around whom the story revolves, it does feel slightly like an ensemble piece. But fortunately the cast is competent and believable, even those fulfilling comic relief roles. So as an illustration of good ol' hometown values like "always be true to yourself", "the importance of family", and the "power of forgiveness", it's a good choice for family night viewing, if you can find a way around Mo'Nique's apparent inability to avoid the B-word.

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